Two of hockey’s best swapped jerseys at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Saturday in another historic moment of Alex Ovechkin’s 21st and potentially final NHL season.
Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time goals leader, and Marie-Philip Poulin, who is considered the greatest player in women’s hockey history, exchanged sweaters during the Montreal Victoire’s practice in Arlington, VA. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Catherine Dubois also swapped jerseys as well. The Victoire play the New York Sirens in a game at Capital One Arena on Sunday, where there’s expected to be a capacity crowd.
“Yeah, that happened quite quick,” Poulin said. “It caught me a little bit by surprise, but it’s awesome, obviously. Ovi, Pierre-Luc, they do so much for hockey, and getting to know a little bit of Pierre-Luc and meeting Ovi, it’s special.”
The moment happened towards the end of the team’s skate, when Ovechkin and Dubois, both in sweats, ambled onto the Victoire’s bench, surprising the players and saying hello.
“I just want to say welcome to DC,” Dubois said. “Good luck tomorrow in your game. I think we’re going to be on the plane, but we’ll be trying to catch up and watch.”
“Welcome, guys,” Ovechkin said. “Good luck!”
When the swap between Ovechkin and Poulin happened, the Capitals captain spoke in French to say thank you.
“Merci beaucoup,” he said, smiling. “You wanna sign [the jersey]?”
“It’s up to you,” she replied.
As Ovechkin nodded in the affirmative, the Victoire players cheered.
On the international stage, Poulin is a three-time Olympic gold medallist and four-time World Champion with the Canadian national team. She has scored the gold-medal-winning goal in three of the four Olympics she’s played in (2010, 2014, and 2022), earning the nickname Captain Clutch for her heroics.
Poulin first completed the “golden goal hat trick” at international competitions when she scored the game-winning goal at the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship. She has served as the captain of Team Canada since 2015.
Ovechkin has done jersey swaps this season with many of the NHL’s biggest stars, including Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar, Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, and Florida Panthers menace Brad Marchand. The Capitals captain appears to have potentially done one with Connor McDavid as well after the Capitals’ 7-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers on November 19.
“I think it’s awesome to be able to have them come here, play a game [tomorrow afternoon], showcase the game, the women’s game in Washington, the DMV area,” Spencer Carbery said after the Capitals’ morning skate. “I want to say I’ve heard there’s 16,000 or some tickets out…That’s going to be a great event.”
